Deejay rewards hometown heroes

Portland native Iyara recently rewarded 12 men from his hometown of Bellevue district, in the Rio Grande Valley, for helping to retrieve the body of a fellow resident who went missing in September.

"Mr [Renold] Franklin, everyone calls him Bangy, had fallen into a ravine in the Rio Grande [Valley] and he was there for three-four days and these guys went and stayed in the forest with him. I thought that the gesture showed the resilience and community spirit of Jamaicans, so I wanted to reward them for their effort," said Iyara.

Franklin, who hunted wild hogs for the better part of 40 years, went missing on September 25 after a hunting trip with one of his brothers and friends. His body was eventually retrieved on September 30.

"I am just glad that the family was able to have closure because of the efforts of these men, so I helped to raise $300,000 to assist the community. We raised US$1,300 for the guys who help and US$700 for the funeral and that meant a lot to the people of Bellevue district, and a lot to me," the deejay said. "It made me proud to know that these men did such a great thing and we come from the same community. We are 'Bellevue Strong'."

IT WAS CHALLENGING

The body was eventually removed from the ravine by members of the Jamaica Defence Force, who were called in to assist with the recovery effort. Delroy Mullings, 45, a nephew of Franklin, said the search party had to be resilient.

"Boy, it was challenging but we all put in the work ... we appreciate the efforts of the guys who went into the forest to find the body. The Wednesday night (September 29), we stayed in the bush with the body because the helicopter came but said the area was too foggy and they needed 80 feet clearance. We chopped down trees to get the body out, 40 feet on each side. It was rough. In the night, we had to sleep on the ground. We tough it out till daylight," said Mullings. He said that the family is still in a state of shock over his uncle's unfortunate demise.

"But we ah get back together. You know how family business ting can be rough at times. Some did a cuss say why he had to be out there but ah him livelihood, hunting ah him sport, him love it," Mullings said. He thanked Iyara and the Own Way team for their generous support.

The other members of the search party were: Norman Dacosta, Denver Fisher, Donovan Fisher, Glenroy Anderson, Christopher Hill, Denroy White, Tino White, Delroy Mullings, Eric Franklin, James Rainford, Keina Franklin, and Kevar Williams.